Sophia Loren

Italian actress and bonafide screen goddess Sophia Loren made over 100 films in her 50-year career, remaining one of the most beloved and recognizable figures in the international film world. Much of...
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John Lennon portrait to raise funds for ailing Beatles photographer

By:
WENN.com
Mar 17, 2015

A portrait of John Lennon clutching a toy panda is to be sold off to raise funds for a prolific music photographer after he suffered a stroke. The man behind the iconic image of Lennon, 78-year-old Robert Freeman, is in poor health and his family is hoping to raise funds for his care by selling off the 1965 snap.
Freeman's son Dean hopes the sale of the picture will bring in enough money to help his dad through his health crisis and preserve for future generations his celebrity picture archive, which is currently housed in a leaking garage.
He tells the London Evening Standard, "My father is extremely frail, living alone in a small hostel and is in desperate need of care. He can no longer look after his valuable archive of work... All proceeds of our exclusive sale will help him recuperate and preserve his wonderful images and stories. It would be heartbreaking to see this irreplaceable body of work lost to future generations."
Robert Freeman is best known for his images of The Beatles during their 1960s heyday, shooting covers for albums including With the Beatles, Beatles for Sale, Help! and Rubber Soul. His other subjects included Hollywood legends Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, and he also shot the first Pirelli calendar in 1964.

The Oscars are coming up and to prepare we decided to celebrate some actresses who have made history! Many of them have helped break barriers for women in the male-dominated industry, but there is still a lot of work to be done. That's very evident since some of these made the list due to contributions they have made as recently as last year. Here are 12 ladies that have bravely made history in film and television.
1. Hattie McDaniel
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This supporting actress won for her role in the classic, Gone with the Wind in 1940, making her the first to black woman to win an Academy Award.
2. Halle Berry
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In 2002 this hot actress was the first black actress to take home a Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Monster's Ball.
3. Hedy Lamarr
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In 1933, this 18-year-old leading lady's role portrayed the first onscreen female orgasm in a non-pornographic film called, Ecstasy.
4. Luise Rainer
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Technically this actress made history through two roles. Luise was the first person to earn two Academy Awards in two consecutive years. One of them was for her role in The Great Ziegfeld in 1936 and the other was for The Good Earth in 1937.
5. Sophia Loren
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The beautiful actress was the first woman to win a Best Actress Academy Award for a foreign film, for Two Women.
6. Fay Bainter
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Before Fay, no other actress was ever up for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in the same year. In 1939, she was up for supporting for Jezebel and best actress for White Banners.
7. Lucille Ball
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Everyone knows about how iconic this funny lady is, but did you know that she was the first woman to run a major television show all thanks to the success of her role on I Love Lucy? Probably not!
8. Laverne Cox
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The beautiful actress is the first transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy thanks to her role as Sophia Burset in Orange Is The New Black.
9. Meryl Streep
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The Academy's sweetheart is currently holding the most nominations out of any other actor with 19 Academy Award nominations. Impressive!
10. Teresa Graves
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You might be familiar with Kerry Washington making history for being the first black woman in 40 years to lead a network drama, but this beautiful woman proceeded her. This foxy lady played an undercover cop in Get Christie Love!
11. Rita Moreno
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This beauty really stole the show in her role as Anita in West Side Story. The performance was so great that she took home an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, making her the second Hispanic to do so. However, she is the only Hispanic female to have an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony)! Only 12 people in the world have completed this high honor and Moreno achieved hers in 1977.
12. Margaret Cho
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This comedian starred on All-American Girl, the first sitcom to star an East Asian family. It ended after one season due to low ratings, but Cho certainly hasn't let that stop her. She has later starred on Drop Dead Diva and more.
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Actress Sasha Alexander is kicking off the holidays by playing the perfect hostess and cooking up a big dinner for her closest gal pals as a thank you for their lasting friendship. The Mission: Impossible III star, who is married to Sophia Loren's director son Edoardo Ponti, likes to invite her girlfriends over for an authentic Italian feast at the end of every year.
She tells People magazine, "Every year I do a gratitude dinner or lunch to thank my girlfriends for being there for me and for being amazing women. We all have such busy and full lives - and you just don't get to spend that time together to say, 'Thank you' and 'You're so awesome'."
"We do some very traditional Italian things, like we always eat lentils, which bring prosperity, and the minute people arrive, I tie a little red piece of yarn to their wrist, which is for good luck and health. You're supposed to keep it on as long as it stays on. It's something my family has always done."
Loren usually does not attend the gatherings, but her influence is still felt as Alexander likes to cook meals from the Nine star's cookbook, Recipes and Memories - although she likes to put her own spin on the dishes.
She continues, "A lot of the recipes take a long time or use ingredients we don't carry here in America. I want to modernise it and make it more efficient for a family."

"It's awful, I hate it... It was my opportunity to get a picture with her, I was so excited and then these are the pictures that I get. I am going to photoshop them or something. The lighting was really off and I was, like, shy; I got starstruck." Sofia Vergara hates the photos she took with namesake and heroine Sophia Loren backstage at a recent Hollywood tribute to the Italian actress.

Movie icon Sophia Loren spilled the beans about some of Hollywood's most famous male stars during a tribute evening on Wednesday (12Nov14) as part of the American Film Institute (AFI) film festival. Director Rob Marshall interviewed Loren for an onstage career retrospective at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, running through her Italian acting work, her transition to Hollywood and her later films.
The 80 year old discussed the male co-stars she encountered throughout her career, telling Marshall that Cary Grant was a "special person, a great actor, absolutely incredible as a person" and Peter Sellers was a "very melancholic person. He would light up only when the director said action".
She added that she liked Clark Gable, "But he had a watch and it rang every evening at five. When it rang, he would leave without saying goodbye."
However, Loren also made it clear she was not a fan of Marlon Brando, simply shrugging when his name was brought up. They co-starred in A Countess of Hong Kong and she recalls the Godfather star keeping her and Charlie Chaplin waiting, so Chaplin reprimanded him for it.
Modern Family star Sofia Vergara and Loren's son Edoardo Ponti also took to the stage to praise Loren, and Vergara's boyfriend Joe Manganiello and actress Michelle Monaghan were in the audience.
Following the tribute, festival organisers screened a restored version of the actress' 1964 comedy Marriage Italian Style and short film The Human Voice, which was directed by her son.
The AFI Fest will close on Thursday evening (13Nov14).

Italian actress Sophia Loren refused to undergo cosmetic surgery early on in her career even though she was urged to get a nose job by movie industry bosses and her late husband Carlo Ponti. The Oscar winner began landing movie roles in the 1950s, and she was told changing her face would help further her career, but she stood her ground.
Loren tells The Hollywood Reporter, "I always tried not to listen to these people. They were saying that my nose was too long and my mouth was too big. It didn't hurt me at all because when I believe in something, it's like war. It's a battle.
"But even Carlo said, 'You know the cameramen, they say that your nose is too long. Maybe you have to touch it a little bit.' And I said, 'Listen, I don't want to touch nothing on my face because I like my face (sic). If I have to change my nose, I am going back to (the family home in) Pozzuoli.' At that time, they used to do noses like a French nose with a little tip at the end - they liked that. Can you imagine me with a nose like that?"

Movie legend Richard Burton turned Sophia Loren's home in Italy into his own personal rehab facility as he prepared for their movie The Voyage in the early 1970s. The new mother had never met Burton when he called unexpectedly and invited himself to stay.
In a new extract from her upcoming memoirs, published in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, she writes, "The phone rang just as I'd finished breastfeeding one son and was dealing with the noisy demands of the other. On the line was a man who announced himself as Richard.
"I knew my husband had lined him up to star with me in The Voyage, which was due to start shooting later in 1973. Naturally, I hadn't expected to meet him till then - but Richard had an unusual request: 'If you agree, I could come and stay with you before we start shooting. You know, I have to get back in shape and I don't really feel like living out of a hotel. They wouldn't leave me be'.
"By 'they', he meant the reporters and paparazzi who'd been filling the gossip columns with tales of Burton's marriage to Elizabeth Taylor, which had reached crisis point a few weeks earlier. Which is how Richard Burton came to stay at Villa Sara, our 16th-century estate near Rome, complete with his entourage, which included a doctor, a nurse and a secretary. As he told me later, he was trying to quit drinking, as well as to get over his love for his beautiful violet-eyed wife."
Loren recalls Burton was the perfect house guest, but things got a little tense when Taylor summoned her husband back to Los Angeles so he could be with her as she underwent an operation to remove an ovarian cyst.
The Italian star writes, "'You have to be joking', I wanted to say, but I held my tongue. After all, it was Richard's life and it was better if I kept out of it. Perhaps he read my mind: he threw me a helpless look, as if to say: 'What can I do? Of course I can't say no.' (Loren's director husband) Carlo (Ponti) understood immediately. 'Go on, go ahead - as long as you're back on the set on Monday morning', he said.
"So it was that Richard flew 15 hours to LA, and another 15 hours back, just to hold Liz's hand for a few minutes. Still, he'd fulfilled his duty and felt at peace with himself. Plus, he was there for the first cry of 'action' on Monday."
However, he didn't serve up his best performance.
Loren explains, "Although Richard was there, his mind was wandering elsewhere - in search of a solution to his problems. Some months later, the marriage was over, and he wasted no time letting me know. By then, we were preparing to go to England to star together in a 1974 remake of Brief Encounter. It was at this point that Richard wrote to me. In his letter, he's as facetious as ever, but he also talks about himself in an authentic, profound way, and rejoices in the friendship that unites us.
"'Have read script... I shall see you in one week from today... I'm completely recovered from my recent madness and have rarely felt so content. Elizabeth will never be out of my bones but she is, at last, out of my head. Such love as I had has turned to pity. She is an awful mess and there's nothing I can do about it without destroying myself. I love you. I'm looking forward to seeing you with immense eagerness... This time I shall be a good actor for you. I was a bloody idiot last time.'"
Loren's memoirs, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, will be released on 3 November (14).

Forest Whitaker and Jon Voight were among the stars who turned out to help Italian actress Sophia Loren mark her 80th birthday at an exhibition in Mexico celebrating her life and career. The Oscar winner is the focus of a show at the Museo Soumaya, a private museum in Mexico City, and her Hollywood friends turned out for a red carpet gala there on Saturday (20Sep14), the day she reached the milestone.
Whitaker and Voight were among the guests at the glittering event, along with U.S. TV host Larry King and actor Andy Garcia, according to the New York Daily News.
The exhibit, titled Sophia Loren: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, features Loren's belongings and awards including her Oscar statuette, and it officially opens to the public on Monday (22Sep14).

Italian actress Sophia Loren is spending the days leading up to her 80th birthday promoting an art gallery in Mexico celebrating her career. The Oscar winner's most prized possessions including a wardrobe, awards, and books, are on display in an exhibit called Sophia Loren: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow at the Soumaya Museum in Mexico City.
Loren was on hand to open the gallery on Thursday (18Sep14), and was humbled by the extensive collection, which celebrates her entire career in show business.
She told the crowd at the news conference, "This is not a celebration of the past but the prologue of a beautiful life that has given me a lot... I'm very moved by this, it's a beautiful exhibit."
Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, owner of the Soumaya, approached Loren with the idea for the exhibit two years ago, and now fans can view treasures from her personal and professional life, including original screenplays from her films, portraits of the actress, as well as her Best Actress Academy Award for Italian war drama Two Women.
As she unveiled the golden statue, Loren recalled the moment she received the coveted trophy, and said, "One feels out of this world, it's like falling in love."
A red carpet gala will be held at the museum on Saturday (20Sep14) on Loren's 80th birthday, and the exhibit will officially open to the public on 22 September (14).

German Playboy model Cathy Schmitz has married Austrian billionaire Richard Lugner. The busty blonde, 24, became the fifth Mrs. Lugner on Saturday (13Sep14) after exchanging vows with the 81-year-old businessman at Austria's Schonbrunn Palace.
Schmitz previously dismissed comments about the couple's 57-year age gap, insisting, "We did not intend to fall in love. It just happened. Love knows no age."
Lugner is famous for handing out thousands of dollars each year to celebrities who accompany him to the lavish Vienna Opera Ball - his dates have included Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch and Lindsay Lohan.
Earlier this year (14), he attended the big bash with Kim Kardashian, but she stormed out of the high-profile gala after becoming offended by a fellow partygoer who donned blackface and pretended to be her rapper beau, Kanye West.

Played both herself and her mother in an NBC TV-movie biopic, "Sophia Loren: Her Own Story"

Signed contract with Carlo Ponti

Acted in last film directed by Vittorio DeSica, "Il viaggio/The Voyage"

Appeared in first American film since 1978, "Ready to Wear (Pret-a-Porter)"; directed by Robert Altman and re-teamed with Marcello Mastroianni; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress

Moved to Hollywood under contract to Paramount; first feature in Hollywood, "The Pride and the Passion"

First of eight collaborations with director Vittorio DeSica, "Gold of Naples,"; appeared in the segment, "Pizza on Credit"

First film collaboration with Marcello Mastroianni, "Cuori sul mare"

Feature acting debut, "Variety Lights"; played a bit part in the film directed by Federico Fellini

Summary

Italian actress and bonafide screen goddess Sophia Loren made over 100 films in her 50-year career, remaining one of the most beloved and recognizable figures in the international film world. Much of her success could be found in the films of Italian director Vittorio De Sica, who called her "the essential Italian woman" and who captured her earthy, authentic sensibilities in romantic comedies and gut-wrenching dramas alike. While a cultural institution in her native country, Loren's homeland appeal never fully translated to U.S. audiences, though she earned plenty of fans based on her traffic-stopping physical assets. Hollywood's attempts to insert her into generic "European sex bomb" roles failed to showcase the actress' depth, even if it sometimes captured her acute wit. Throughout her career, Loren worked with some of film's most renowned directors and leading men, but the bulk of her artistic achievements remained in Italian cinema and opposite her frequent lead, Marcello Mastroianni. In addition to her many European accolades, Hollywood recognized her with Academy Award nominations, including a Best Actress win for "Ciociara, La" ("Two Women") (1960) and years later, an honorary Oscar for her many contributions to both American and Italian cinema.

Name

Role

Comments

Riccardo Scicolone

Father

Refused to marry Loren's mother, leaving her without support

Alessandra Mussolini

Niece

Born c. 1962; appeared on Italian TV and later became a physician in training; won a seat in the Italian Parliament running on the neo-Fascist ticket (1992)

Carlo Ponti

Husband

Met in 1950 during a beauty contest in which he was a judge; married in Mexico in 1957, but marriage annulled in 1962 due to charges by Italian government that Ponti's divorce from previous wife was not valid; legally were married in France in 1966

Carlo Ponti

Son

Born in 1969; father, Carlo Ponti; graduated from Pepperdine University (majored in music) in 1991; went on to do graduate work at USC in conducting

Eduardo Ponti

Son

Born c. 1973; father, Carlo Ponti; studied at USC majoring in film; made first film "Liv" (1998)

Anna Scicolone

Sister

Formerly married to Romano Mussolini, third son of Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, who ruled Italy in the 1930s and during WWII

Romilda Villani

Mother

Raised Loren and her sister with the help of her mother; died May 9, 1991 in Rome at age 81

Education

Name

Notes

"He was my school, my teacher, my mentor, my everything. I really owe it all to him. Later you begin to apprehend how you can pick up from other people here and there." - Sophia Loren discussing Vittorio DeSica's influence on her acting career in the New York Post, Oct. 3, 1991